Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Overwhelmed

I must admit that I am feeling overwhelmed. The long term Southern strategy of the GOP is working to fan enough bigotry and racial cynicism that a host of Tea Baggers may take over Congress in the upcoming election. Point One: A church in Florida is organizing burning of the Koran to commemorate 9/11. Two: A Republican candidate for Congress tells his followers that Islam is a cult and therefore not entitled to the protections of the First Amendment. Third; RNC Michael Steele and Andrew Breitbart,of Shirley Sharrod infamy, will appear as headliners of a massive fundraising event in Beverly Hills. Those with short memories may remember that last week Breitbart distributed edited film of a speech by Sharrod that impugned her integrity and falsely cast her as a racist discriminating against poor white farmers. Fourth: I received an e-mail this morning from a member of an exclusive country club which depicted photographs of black people arrested for various offenses, all of whom were wearing Obama tee shirts or sweat shirts.

All this in the country I love, the country in which the basic underlying principle is that all people are created equal.